Chosen by Caroline Scheufele to embody the Precious Lace collection, British actress Poppy Delevingne agreed to answer a few questions about her style, her vision of jewellery and her special relationship with Chopard.
How would you define your personal style?
I’d define my personal style as sort of classic with a twist. I could be wearing a blazer with a pair of jeans, but there will always be a sort of Poppy twist to it, whatever that means… I guess I’m still figuring it out…
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Racil dress.
Is jewellery important in your everyday look? How do you usually like to wear jewellery?
Jewellery is incredibly important to my everyday look. I love pieces that I can wear from day to night. That I can sort of dress up with a little bit of lipstick or dress down just by wearing a pair of trainers… Jewellery can define who you are; the pieces you wear tell a story.
How would you define elegance?
I think elegance is all about being confident. If you’re confident, elegance just shines through.
How would you define the Precious Lace collection?
I think it’s supremely feminine, light and delicate.
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“Nuage” necklace in ethical 18-carat white gold set with pear-shaped and brilliant-cut diamonds.
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“Vague” pendant in ethical 18-carat white gold set with pear-shaped and brilliant-cut diamonds.
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Racil dress.
How does it make you feel?
When I wear the Precious Lace collection, I feel like I’m in a dream. It’s other worldly.
What would you say is your favourite piece in the collection?
My favourite piece from the collection would have to be the heart. It feels like the world needs more love in it right now, so why not?
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Emilia Wickstead jumpsuit.
Which one word pops into your mind to describe this collection?
Effortless.
How would you personally style this collection?
I would wear this collection in the bath, doing the washing up (one can dream). No seriously, what I love about this collection is that you can wear it with anything. I see it with a beautiful dress, but I can also see Precious Lace with just a plain white T-shirt, jeans and trainers…lounging on your sofa at home… It’s just so versatile and the diamonds make you smile.
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“Mini-Froufrou” ring in ethical 18-carat white gold set with pear-shaped and brilliant-cut diamonds.
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“Nuage” ring in ethical 18-carat white gold set with pear-shaped and brilliant-cut diamonds.
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Emilia Wickstead dress.
This Haute Joaillerie collection is inspired by the world of Haute Couture and lace in particular. What is special about lace?
There’s something quite emotional about lace. When I think about it, I think about its delicacy, and how precious and timeless it is.
All Chopard’s Haute Joaillerie is created in-house by its artisans. How important is craftsmanship and meticulous work to you?
Someone very special once told me to buy better and therefore buy less… and that really rings true to me. I really do believe that you can have one very special piece of jewellery that’s been sustainably made, using beautiful craftsmanship and to have that one piece is so much better than having several that don’t feature that same quality.
The Precious Lace collection is made exclusively with ethical gold and diamonds from Responsible Jewellery Council-certified suppliers. Is that something important to you?
It is important to me to wear responsibly-sourced materials because we need to respect our planet, and nurture it; we only have one after all…
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Alessandra Rich dress.
What have you learned from your charity work? How has it changed you? Through your philanthropic endeavours, such as with Save The Children, you have said that you see hope for a better future: what is your hope for that future?
I’ve learnt that children are so inspiring. They are our future and I feel honoured to be able to work with an organisation like SAVE THE CHILDREN; to see first-hand all the incredible work that they do. I’m very grateful to have that opportunity.
You are also active in projects aimed at protecting the ocean and safeguarding our planet, such as Project Zero. Why is sustainability and ethical sourcing important to you?
I think everyone is now very aware of how important it is for our oceans to survive, to sustain them and it can just be the little things: like recycling, avoiding single-use plastic etc. I feel like everyone can play a part in this and if we all come together we can achieve incredible things for our planet. For our future.
As you know, Chopard has been very committed in a Journey to Sustainable Luxury for many years. Is it important to you to work with a Maison which has a sustainable approach?
I love to work with brands that I feel a connection to and have an authentic relationship with; and as Chopard is so passionate about sustainability, the partnership just makes sense. It feels organic and true.
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Alessandra Rich dress.
“Bringing ethics and aesthetics together” is a motto of Chopard’s Co-President and Artistic Director Caroline Scheufele. How does that resonate with you?
“Bringing ethics and aesthetics together” does indeed resonate with me very much. To have something that looks beautiful and comes from a beautiful place – what more could you want? Caroline is hugely inspirational and I look up to her very much.
What does Chopard represent for you?
I would say, modern elegance.
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Alessandra Rich dress.
And in one word?
Can’t modern elegance be one word? And in one word…elegance! When you think of Chopard, I feel like it is about being elegant, strong and confident. That’s what strikes me most about the Maison as a whole.
What is your first memory of Chopard?
My first memory of Chopard would have to be seeing the incredible Julianne Moore on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. She was wearing beautiful emerald earrings & with her sensational auburn hair she just looked effortless and timeless and so striking. It was just an image that really stuck in my mind.
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Emilia Wickstead dress.
What is your best Red Carpet experience to date at the Cannes Film Festival?
My best Red Carpet experience at Cannes Film Festival would have to be going with Chopard around five years ago. The film was Carol with Cate Blanchett and I wore a tear-drop Chopard necklace. There were layers and layers and layers of diamonds… Too many to count. I felt like a princess.
As you know, Joie de Vivre is part of Chopard’s DNA. What makes you instantly happy?
Dancing. Dancing like nobody’s watching… and being barefoot too. Also my nieces and nephew; they make me laugh more than anyone….
Do you have any happiness tips?
Smiling. Living with intent. Positive mental attitude; wherever you feel you can get that from, dig for it, because it’s worth it, so dig deep.
Chopard Precious Lace collection
With its intricate all-diamond jewels, the Precious Lace Collection is a contemporary classic of today’s jewellery world. Instantly recognisable as the Maison’s stylistic signature, this jewellery line is light, lyrical and supremely feminine, as well as unmistakably Chopard in its effortless design and mastery of craft skills. The collection, inspired by the lightness and whiteness of lace, plays with light and space, weaving diamonds and gold together in fluid, intricate openwork. The result is a fascinating dialogue between strength and fragility, substance and delicacy; between the eternal brilliance of the diamond and the ethereal weightlessness of a lace-like jewel floating over the skin, hovering between Haute Couture and Haute Joaillerie. A jewel that moves in harmony with the body, a sensual and silky second skin fully reflecting the values of the Fédération de la Haute Couture of which Chopard is a “jeweller” member.
A new vision of Haute Joaillerie
Now, with a new series of light and lively jewels within the Precious Lace Collection, Chopard makes the preciousness of diamonds and the luxury of lace more accessible and wearable. These are personal gemset jewellery treasures for every day, every occasion and every woman. Like the collection itself, and its modern take on classicism, this talent for breaking down barriers between Haute and Fine jewellery, thereby dismantling the formality of Haute Joaillerie, is a powerful Chopard signature.
Caroline Scheufele, Chopard’s Co-President and energetic Artistic Director, has always understood and anticipated what women want in their jewels, and how they want to wear them. She has championed their causes, creating audacious, glamorous jewels that reflect their multi-faceted lives as well as illuminating their lifestyles, fashions and values. She works tirelessly to make precious jewellery exciting, expressive and most of all relevant today. Ever since she took the creative helm at the Family Maison in the 1980s, she has pushed boundaries, challenging existing conventions and infusing Haute Joaillerie with a fresh elegance characterised by effortless exuberance. In doing so, she gives new meaning to the precious nature of jewellery that women want to keep close to them at all times. Through her pioneering sustainable luxury initiatives, Caroline Scheufele defends the planet, its resources – in terms of gold and gems – as well as human beings themselves. In 2018, Chopard was the first luxury watch and jewellery manufacturer to commit to using 100% ethical gold.
Ethics meets aesthetics
With the new Precious Lace jewels, all hand-crafted in Chopard’s Haute Joaillerie ateliers using ethical gold and diamonds sourced from Responsible Jewellery Council certified members, Chopard brings that vision to life, disseminating the beauty, classicism and craftsmanship of Haute Joaillerie, translating its refinement into appealingly wearable, charismatically feminine jewels.
The designs echo the floral patterns, scrolls, swirls and scalloped edges of fine antique lace. The central design feature of the Chopard Precious Lace Collection – a rhythmic, undulating gold and diamond-set curl enclosing an unfurling line of pear-shaped diamonds – is now presented in miniaturised form through four designs. The first is a “Vague”[1] motif whose proportions evoke foaming sea billows and is interpreted as a pair of earrings, a pendant and a ring. The stylised flower pattern named “Mini-Froufrou”, with its scalloped borders and pear-shaped diamond petals on an airy openwork background, adorns a ring, earrings, pendant and bangle. A semi-circular floret in a similar style becomes a “Nuage”[2] pendant, neckchain, earrings and ring. Lastly, Chopard gives its iconic “Cœur”[3] pendant the Precious Lace treatment, in a choice of two sizes.
Lace – a treasured possession
Just as the collection plays with diamond light and lightness, with shape and form and space, so the theme itself plays with concepts of preciousness, and with the fusion of jewels and fabric, as well as the relationship between Haute Joaillerie and Haute Couture. The art of lacemaking was perfected in 16th century Venice, from where it spread across Europe to centres in Belgium, France, Spain and England, taking on different characteristics, in different styles. Lace, so meticulously and skilfully hand-made, was prized as a rich adornment to costume, for collars, cuffs, caps and ruffles, worn by royalty and nobility. It was thus regarded as a much-treasured, valuable possession particularly by the great Renaissance rulers, including Elizabeth I. Like jewels and gems, lace thus became a symbol of status and power.
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Alessandra Rich dress.
In these jewels, the effect of exquisite hand-made lace is re-created by the interplay of pear-shaped and round brilliant-cut diamonds, using their shapes and their silhouettes within the openwork space in each design, to bring a lilting rhythm, playful fluidity and contemporary stylisation to the essential classicism of the theme. The delicacy of lace is replicated by the extreme precision of the goldwork, the slender mounts and airiness that serve to highlight the radiance of the diamonds, and at the same time, showcase the supreme skill of the Maison’s in-house artisans. Expertise similar to that of the nimble-fingered seamstresses referred to as petites mains in the field of Haute Couture, with which Chopard shares a number of core values: an array of eminently noble materials, a flair for details, a commitment to wearer comfort, and above all, an authentic love for women.
Photo session realised with the help of:
Photographer: Christine Kreiselmaier
Stylist: Elizabeth Saltzmann
Hair: Earl Simms
Make-up: Florrie White
Manicure: Kim Treacy
